3rd November, 2011
Background
The Kamba people have a rich history attached to their existence and their way of life, as is the case in all other Kenyan communities. With culture, comes myths, fallacies and sometimes even rumours. It is said that in some parts of Ukambani, people would offer human sacrifices to their gods during the dry spell periods, so they would have mercy on them and provide rain for their land. A story is told of a man who buried his daughter alive as a sacrifice to the gods in exchange for rain. Interestingly, his parcel of land is the only green patch amidst tens of other dry pieces of land in the area.
Of course one logical (or scientific if you may) explanation for this occurrence is the fact that this man’s land lies within a depression which collects water in the rainy season causing it to be fertile. The locals however do not buy into that school of thought, and prefer to stick to the belief that sacrifices or their lack thereof to a large extent dictate weather and land fertility patterns.
Johnstone Mutavata a member of Kwang’oti group, a water committee, in Kaunguni division of Makueni District narrates the ordeals of living in a community where for the longest time, water was as scarce as was freedom in the colonial days. Skipping a bath for days on end and a consequent lack of personal hygiene practices was the norm for most people. The most they would do to keep clean on the very rare occasion was use dew to sponge bath, adding that one could actually identify people from their area by their body odours – mostly foul!
Hygiene was not a virtue that this community could boast of. For instance, after cooking a dish like ugali (mixture of maize flour cooked to a cake in boiling water) instead of washing the pot after using it, they would dry it in the sun and once the crust of the ugali had detached itself from the cooking pan, they would reuse it for whatever other cooking needed to be done.
done.
Mutavata continues to reminisce how back in the day the women spent 8 precious hours or an entire day to get water from the only available but heavily contaminated water source – the Kibwezi River.
Water-borne and other preventable diseases were rife, sometimes resulting in unnecessary deaths. In Mutavata’s words, the turn-around came after the advent of AMREF’s intervention which not only saw to the creation of more water sources but ensured that this water was fit for human consumption. AMREF employed an inherent knowledge transfer system within the community to build the communities knowledge on hygiene and sanitation practices. According to Anthony Mondoh, the Project Manager for AMREF’s Makueni Water and Sanitation Project, this has over time translated to a reduction in water and sanitation related diseases.
To date over 120 community-operated boreholes covering their entire area provide enough water for both domestic and farm use and as Mutavata jokingly adds “people can now afford to shower twice daily.” But on a more serious note the water projects have also seen the community through the harshest of droughts that have become part and parcel of their part of the country.
These water points have also enabled the communities to engage in income generating activities through small scale farming of vegetables and fruits, thereby boosting their nutritional status and cushioning them against the effects of climate change and hard economic times.
The Kwang’oti group’s farming ventures have paid off and they are looking to purchase a motorized pump to enable them scale-up their farming activities.
Another good example is the case of Kiboko GNCA Church where AMREF has facilitated the community to conduct fish farming. This has not only provided a rich source of nutritional supplementation but has also boosted food and financial security for the community members affiliated with that project. The group has plans to construct about ten more ponds in the near future.
The 20- member Umoja Women’s Self Help Group is also a beneficiary of the water projects by AMREF and has been able to engage in fruit and vegetable farming on a quarter acre piece that has been an investment worth their time and resources according to the group secretary, Irene Mbuvi.
Notable also in the communities where AMREF is working within Makueni such as Kathonzweni, Kiboko, Makindu, Nguu and other areas as well, is the move to ‘trade their machetes for hoes’, so instead of depleting the environment through tree-cutting and burning charcoal for fuel, they are now planting more trees in an aggressive afforestation drive to save the eco system.
The School Health Program
At the Ndonguni Primary School, the Personal Hygiene and Sanitation Education project is a community lifeline. Leaky tins have been strategically placed within the school compound to ensure that the 200 plus children wash their hands at critical times. There are water reservoir tanks that ensure a steady supply of water for the students and the neighbouring residents. A borehole within the school compound replenishes the tanks and the leaky tins, ensuring that children remain clean while at the same time conserving water and their environment in a sustainable way.
Medical Perspective
Nicholas Mutiso a Health Worker in Makueni shares the flip side of the coin - malnutrition. Owing to the persistent drought there is still a critical mass of the population comprising of women and children that are continuing to bear the brunt of the drought. His average daily case load for malnutrition cases has increased immensley. However AMREF has come in carried out integrated medical outreaches that include therapeutic feeding for the severely malnourished and provide fortified Unimix and cooking oil for the for the most needy cases in the community.
According to Anthony Mondoh, the Project Manager for the Makueni Water and Sanitation Project, food remains a big concern for many especially in the worst hit areas and where the government or other non governmental agencies are not supplying relief food.
Jumbo Challenge
Human wildlife conflict is a major threat to this community that neighbours the Tsavo National Park. Almost on a daily basis they have to contend with elephants competing for the same food as them. The Kenya Wildlife Service is however in the process of erecting an electric fence around the park to salvage this situation.
